Crystal Castles - Not In Love (feat Robert Smith)

Label: Fiction
Release date: 06/12/10
ItÊ¼s hard for me to imagine working with Crystal Castles, going by their stage presence, IÊ¼d imagine it being pretty intimidating, but it seems to be working for the artists who have been working with them. Their collaboration with HEALTH for Crimewave in 2008 has become one of their most popular and more accessible tracks; Not In Love repeats this feat with a little help from an unlikely source - The CureÊ¼s Robert Smith.
'Not In Love' was reco...

Label: Fiction
Release date: 06/12/10
ItÊ¼s hard for me to imagine working with Crystal Castles, going by their stage presence, IÊ¼d imagine it being pretty intimidating, but it seems to be working for the artists who have been working with them. Their collaboration with HEALTH for Crimewave in 2008 has become one of their most popular and more accessible tracks; Not In Love repeats this feat with a little help from an unlikely source - The CureÊ¼s Robert Smith.
'Not In Love' was recorded for Crystal Castles II, where its de-tuned synths and haunting, almost mechanised vocals from Alice Glass did not seem too far out of kilter with the rest of the album, even if the slightly Ê»houseÊ¼ feel wasnÊ¼t quite in keeping; and now we know why. This isnât the four minute audio assault course that Crystal Castles have been perfecting for many years, this is a completely different animal. The remixing of 'Not in Love' with the vocals from Robert Smith is essentially genius. As singer with The Cure, this seems an unlikely place to find his influence, but it makes sense. With a voice like Christian Burns and Rob Swire, his vocals fit perfectly over a backing which could have been written by TiÃ«sto. From a slightly Ê»out thereÊ¼ track where Crystal CastlesÊ¼ style and Alice GlassÊ¼s vocals allow the music to carry the words, this production has developed a pounding trance-like tune, which is just about the catchiest thing they have ever produced.
For a band that have remained a little off-beat for many years, a song under their name with so
much potential for fans outside of their usual genre can only be a good thing, and Crystal Castles
have certainly delivered. I wouldnât mind seeing some more collaborations, especially given the
change in style that this one offered. Iâm not sure if it will end up as a classic song, or even a song that Crystal Castles are remembered for, but itâs catchy, and sometimes you canât get much better than that.